It is better for thee to enter into
life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into
everlasting fire. Matthew 18:8
All talk
about sin, say the self-expressionists, is utterly foolish, leading to
self-repression, which is, they state, the only sin. What used to be called sin
is just expression of self, the greatest and the most vital possession that man
has, they say. Not to sin, according to the old meaning of the term, is to do
violence to the greatest gift he possesses. They plead, therefore, for the
abolition of the word sin in its earlier associations. They deplore what they
term the tragic spectacle of mankind shackled against its highest good by
adherence to the warnings of the Bible, the Church, and the saints.
We can
best consider this human view of life, and show its complete fallacy, by
contrasting it with God’s view as stated in the Bible. The teachings of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, are outspoken against sin. He said, “Wherefore
if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it
is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two
hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if your eye offends you,
pluck it out, and cast it from you: it is better for you to enter into life
with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire” (Matthew
18:8-9).
Now there
we are reminded of the way in which every conceivable view of life and of men
is invariably dealt with somewhere or another in the Scriptures. Modern man is
constantly flattering himself and suggesting to himself that certain of his
ideas are quite new. But here again we find an illustration of a view that
prides itself on its modernity dealt with completely and exhaustively in the
Bible.
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